Tensions Escalate on Syrian-Lebanese Border as Hezbollah and Syrian Army Exchange Fire
Cross-border shelling results in casualties as Syria and Lebanon seek to stabilize the region.
Watan-Al Jazeera’s correspondent, citing a military source, reported that eight members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense were killed in a Hezbollah bombardment on the countryside of Homs. The shelling also resulted in the deaths of two civilians.
The Syrian army shelled locations in Lebanon following the killing of three of its soldiers by gunmen. However, Hezbollah denied any involvement in the incident.
Syrian media outlets and activists shared footage showing the Syrian army launching artillery shells and rockets early Monday toward locations inside Lebanese territory west of Homs province.
Cross-Border Shelling
In the same context, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported that Lebanese villages and towns in the Al-Qasr-Hermel area were subjected to shelling from Syrian territory. The agency added that Lebanese military units responded to the source of the fire with appropriate weapons.
Handover of Bodies
The Lebanese army reinforced its deployment to maintain security, according to the agency, which also noted that communications between army leadership and Syrian authorities were ongoing to ensure security and stability in the border region.
According to the same source, the Lebanese army handed over the bodies of the three Syrians who were killed at the Lebanese-Syrian border to the Syrian side.
On Sunday evening, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces were targeting Hezbollah gatherings with heavy artillery, accusing the group of killing Syrian army soldiers on the Syrian-Lebanese border west of Homs.
The ministry affirmed that it would take all necessary measures in response to what it described as a dangerous escalation by Hezbollah.
For its part, Hezbollah issued a statement strongly denying any involvement in the events that took place on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
Earlier this month, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and his Lebanese counterpart, President Joseph Aoun, agreed during a meeting in Cairo—held on the sidelines of the Arab summit on Gaza—on the need to control the border between the two countries.
